We, my wife and I, visited Benkei on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy their sushi buffet. The offerings…read moreinclude a variety of fresh sushi, rolls, hot dishes, and salads. We had salmon sashimi brought to the table. Everything seemed fresh, and was tasty, but nothing was extraordinary - after all this is, for the most part, a buffet. Whenever we visit Rio, we try to make it stop at one of the Benkei restaurants. Prices are more than fair and the menu is ample. This one in Shopping Metropolitano stands out because of the restaurant itself. It has more space than the other Benkei restaurants, and offers seating on a really nice outdoor terrace. It's a good place to come if you want a sushi fix and you're really hungry.

Good quality with all you can eat for 65 BRL, the sashimi is fresh and the ambience feels good plus…read morethe place looks great. If you are early make sure to grab some oysters, but hurry, they go faaaaaaast....

Close to some famous Rio landmarks like the Arcos da Lapa and Selaron Steps, Sabor Peruano en Rio…read morewas a reasonably priced Peruvian restaurant with delicious food. When I walked in, staff greeted me and gave me a choice of tables. Decor was relaxing and crowd made up mostly of visitors like myself. There was a lot of dishes to try on the menu and as a solo diner limited my ability to try more. I was quite happy that they offered a duos marinos and even a trio marinos which was a combo plate filled with seafood ceviche, chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) and/or chicharrones. Duos Option 3 was the best. The fish ceviche was filled with lots of firm fish fillets, crunchy cancha and corn and a little sweetness from the sweet potatoes. It was a combination I've not tried before and topped my list. The seafood chaufa was something new for me. Not like an Asian fried rice but distinctly different with a softer finish to the rice with lots of cooked perfectly calamari, octopus and calamari. It was savory and satisfying. I was quite full by the end of the meal and glad I didn't get anything else otherwise I would've wasted it. R82 for all the food was a steal that made my taste buds and stomach very happy. Without hesitation come here for great Peruvian cuisine!

Rua Maria Quinteria contained many of the restaurants I bookmarked to checkout during my stay in…read moreRio. Maria e o Boi received a Bib Gourmand rating for its Brazilian cuisine and I was definitely pleased with my experience over dinner. It was located on a corner lot with a couple tables outdoors, 8 tables inside with a large, well stocked bar. I thought the decor was inviting, simple and good for lingering over a long meal and conversation. Printed menus were only in Portuguese but the clipboard had a QR code to link you to the English version. The restaurant was known for their meat dishes but I veered to the Pirarucu, white fleshed Brazilian fish, as it was the only place on my list with it. It turned out to be the best fish I ate on this trip. The Pirarucu was firm but moist and complemented with the ajoblanco sauce (almonds, garlic and bread), a "scented chimichurri", Brazil nut like side (per menu but they looked and tasted like beans with tomatoes and green grapes) and kale. It was a delicious mouthful when I could get a little bit of everything onto my fork. I added a side of grilled vegetables (zucchini, kambocha squash, peas, and broccoli) which all were nicely charred and tender. It was a little bit over-seasoned with salt but still good. Service was as expected. A 10% service was automatically added to the bill which was settled at the table. Would return for another meal when I'm back in Rio.

Chef Roberta Sudbrack, a former Latin America's Best Female Chef award winner is always mentioned…read moreas one of the top chefs in Rio and her restaurant is considered among the best in the city. They don't take reservations so I decided to try my luck by showing up at opening on a Wednesday. The is no signage so I actually walked past it before realizing my error. Inside is a cozy little restaurant and the staff is very welcoming. There are menus in English which is useful for reading the descriptions of each dish. There was so much that piqued my interest and I wanted to try but alas I was dining alone this time and had no one to share with so I had to limit my choices. I really wanted to try the homemade bread with the homemade butter but I thought it might be too much so I settled on the "Organic cauliflower cooked in a clay oven" with tahini hummus, a Sud's classic. 5/5 The cauliflower was perfectly charred and the hummus was good. Another hard decision was trying to decide on what main course I wanted. There was the brisket, filet, pork tenderloin, Angus ribs, and slow roasted duck all seemed like good choices but I ended up going with the "Slowly roasted lamb in our clay oven" with roasted potatoes, carrots and organic leaves. 5/5 The first couple of bites it didn't have a strong lamb taste to it, but then there it was very subtle along with all of the seasoning used. I'm not a fan of greens but they were OK along with the roasted potatoes and carrots which were so well done. So finally the last difficult decision of the night was dessert. There were so many great sounding desserts that you knew dessert wasn't some afterthought. But I am a chocoholic at heart so when a dish is named ad described like this on a menu I have no choice but to order it. "Wet chocolate cake, the legend! | Chef's Sudbrack signature | sour cream and hot chocolate sauce | This one doesn't even need to be explained, it's legend!" I know why this is legendary I'm still thinking about it all this time later. It has to be one of the top 3 pieces of chocolate cake I've ever eaten. The cake was great but then you have a hot chocolate sauce to add on top and it is life changing!?! I don't want to sound hyperbolic but a 10/5. This was an higher priced meal, but the food, quality, experience, and service make it worth it. Plus a meal as good as this would cost double back home. I would love to come back sometime for another visit so I can try more. I would even come back just for the cake.

Fantastic meal, probably the best one I have had on my 11 visits to Rio…read more Started out ordering the homemade baked bread which was absolutely delicious (the dough and outstanding crust), especially when paired with the rich butter from Minas Gerais which has outstanding flavor and texture more similar to a fine cheese.. For the main course I ordered the highly recommended filet, cooked a perfect medium rare, that comes with bearnaise sauce on the side and delicious Sudbrack fries. Washed the food down with a good glass of red house wine and finished this great meal with 2 outstanding desserts that my friend and I shared--the chocolate cake with gelato (looks like a brownie but remarkably light) and a lemon merengue tart. All this great food came to R$300 each (roughly $62 US per person as of this writing at 4.9 R$ to USD)--a bargain compared to what I would pay for a comparable meal in Miami at Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro--just as good but nearly half the price!!....BTW, they do sell loafs of their bread to take home. Run, don't walk, here...or take Uber. Muito bom!

I just came back from South America and although Yelp has no presence in many parts of the…read morecontinent that I visited, I at least can blast out reviews on Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires!! I'm obviously not a Carioca (Rio local) so this review is geared more towards other people from the U.S. that visit Rio for the first time like me. Although I think they thought I was local or at least Brazilian because people would ask me for directions, ask me to watch their stuff at the beach, try to make conversation with me, all in Portuguese! Street vendors didn't even really bother me. I noticed they would first try in Portuguese with me, but in English with other tourists around me LMAO. I realized Brazilians look so mixed race that a Filipino from the U.S. could easily be mistaken for a Carioca. I think I just fit the skin tone swatch of the city. I feel like I look very favela-ish. I believe Megamatte is a chain cafe around Rio. This location is near Fort Copacabana, in an area called Arpoador, which is the area in between the main attraction beaches, Copacabana and Ipanema. So if you're making the walk between beaches along the main drag, then you are bound to pass by. You might as well stop in and grab some classic Brazilian treats because they are delicious here. Unbeknownst to me, I happened to arrive really early in the morning on their Proclamation Day (aka Independence Day) so lo-and-behold all the businesses were closed till 3 pm...except this one. How great a stumble this was because it was the perfect, convenient, easy, and quick snack breakfast to start my first day in Rio before going straight to the beach. The main things you wanna try here are their 1) Huge, soft, and extra cheesy pao de queijos, the Brazilian cheese bread everyone loves, 2) Guarana drinks of which they have many flavors, but I liked the original plain gaurana, which is a sweet drink made from some plant, not carbonated, but not juice either--it's like this weird but tasty "in-between" drink, and 3) Acai, which we all know and love--you can also get these on the street, but if you want them from a store, this is a good place to go. It really is a great cafe to transition your taste buds to some of the staples of Brazilian eats before you delve into the world of street/beach food, feijoada, moqueca, and churrasco! They also have all kinds of little pastries (savory and sweet, some recognizable, some not) and cakes displayed in their cases, so it's easy to just point to what looks delicious if you don't speak Portuguese. Although eggs and pancakes will likely be available complimentary in your hotel, it's nice to try what Brazilians (and other South Americans) eat for breakfast on the daily (aka not eggs and pancakes lol). Although I was able to check into our hotel very early, if you arrive before check in time and you're not able to check in, just leave your bags with the concierge and start strolling the beaches IMMEDIATELY. If you come across this place, it looks very tiny (with very little seating) and very local, but stop in and try a few things or save them for later as snacks! They accept credit cards and they're cheap.

Very small shop near Ipanema beach. Staff was very kind in helping me in half english, half…read morePortuguese - I really appreciated the kindness and great customer service. Enjoyed a pizza croissant, and espresso. Good stop for early morning coffee fix ;-)

We had a great dinner. Service was great. The place was empty the Wednesday night we visited. Food…read morewas fresh and tasty. It was dark outside so we didn't see any view.

Churrascaria Cruzeiro do Sol is a sort of basic Brazilian Steakhouse when compared to Churrascaria…read morePalace or other options. As with most other reviews mention, our stop here was for lunch on a day tour that was included in the price of the tour package. Every other group of diners also appeared to have been there in that capacity. Cruzeiro definitely felt almost like a cafeteria, with super white walls, tables, and decor. There is a swimming pool outside, that I am not sure what it's connected to, so that was odd. They did have the normal steakhouse Gauchos walking around with spokes of meats and food, and there were some side items in the middle of each table to share among the diners. Aside from the ambiance not being as upscale as other steakhouses we tried in Rio, the quality of meats also wasn't quite as top notch as the others either. Some were pretty fatty and others were sort of flavorless. I apologize sort of for comparing this to other highly acclaimed Brazilian Steakhouses, but it's hard to be impressed with Cruzeiro do Sol after trying those others. After reading other reviews, it appears that this steakhouse exists solely for the use of tours to offer a "lunch" option as part of the package. I would save your money (about $35 USD if you eat there outside of a tour) and eat elsewhere. Churrascaria Palace was only a tad bit more than that, and the ambiance and service there was ten times higher quality than that of Churrascaria Cruzeiro do Sol.

Food was delicious and my server Roberta was amazing. I will definitely come back for a bite and…read moresome cold beers